The bright lights, casinos and entertainment of Las Vegas can be distracting, but when the Horned Frogs travel to Sin City Saturday to take on the UNLV Rebels, head coach Gary Patterson said his team will be focused.

Patterson said the team would not spend much time in the city. The schedule for the weekend is simple: fly in to Vegas, sleep, eat, play football and come back home. Business as usual for the Horned Frogs.

The TCU Jazz Ensemble has performed with several international artists in the past, but the tables have turned since the group was invited to be an international guest at the Havana International Jazz Festival Dec. 15-20, Director of Jazz Studies Curt Wilson said.

Wilson said Harmony International, a travel group, invited the jazz band to the festival after the band's performance as the featured college band last February at the Texas Music Educators Conference in San Antonio.

Pennies for Peace is coming to TCU on Thursday and Friday thanks to The Center for International Studies: TCU Abroad. Pennies for Peace raises money to help poor countries in central Asian countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, and uses that money mainly to help support and build schools as well as provide salaries or teachers.

Students will have a chance to make a donation in either Tandy or Smith Halls, and any amount will help.

While most students are home for the holidays this December, the TCU Jazz Ensemble will represent the university as one of the first American bands allowed to perform in Cuba in almost half a century. The band was invited by Harmony International after making a stellar performance at the company's Texas Music Educators Conference earlier this year.

An opportunity like this is unique and commendable for many reasons. It is a huge honor to be selected for a trip to a country most adults have not had the opportunity to visit since the U.S. banned travel to Cuba in 1963.

On Sept. 9, U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ruled "don't ask, don't tell," unconstitutional as a violation of free speech and equal protection rights. The policy is a prohibition on openly gay service members in the military. Last Wednesday, an appeals court temporarily overturned the measure by request of the Justice Department. This has led to tremendous confusion over whether veterans ousted from the military by the measure can re-enlist, and has caused controversy over whether the law should even remain in place.

In the midst of steadily increasing college expenses, more students can get a better break from the government this year.

Students are eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $2,500 thanks to the American Opportunity Tax Credit.

According to the IRS website, the tax break was designed to expand the reach of the existing Hope Credit, which applied to 2008 and earlier tax years and could not be refunded.

Conflicts that divide the Palestinian region and its people were showcased in a film screening and a question-and-answer session with filmmaker Matt Sienkiewicz Monday evening.

The documentary film "Live from Bethlehem" tells the stories of three journalists and the struggles they faced trying to produce news in a region torn by war and occupation, Sienkiewicz said.

The film followed the Ma'an News Agency over a one-year span and narrated the daily challenges that news makers in the region faced.

A water fountain and foot-washing station could be placed by the sand volleyball courts pending a review by the finance committee of Student Government Association, an SGA executive officer said.

SGA Vice President Jackie Wheeler said the new water fountain and foot-washing station would be outside the University Recreation Center. The unit also could have a shower nozzle on top to wash off sand from the court.

She said the water fountain was still being designed so it would look good on campus.